Electron-beam-induced current studies of (i) μcSi:H crystalline (n+-p) Si heterostructures

Electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) studies of intrinsic, highly disordered, or nearly amorphous Si:H thin-film-deposited (n⁺-p) single-crystal silicon solar cells are reported. The results are compared with those for TiO_x deposited solar cells. The presence of two peaks in the EBIC plot and their relative heights give a clear indication that two junctions (one heterojunction and the other homojunction) are operative in these heterostructures. The earlier explanation for the reported short-circuit current enhancement observed in solar cells coated with (i) μcSi:H layers, therefore, seems valid. The higher values of measured refractive index of the film and similar results on both plane and texturized Si solar cells also suggest that this enhancement is not due to an antireflection coating effect. Although an enhancement in short-circuit current is also observed when the solar cells are coated with TiO_x, it is mainly due to better optical matching